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Arab World

New Proposals Revive Push to Resume Gaza Truce Talks

22 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians wait in front of a free food distribution point to receive their portion of a hot meal, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
22 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians wait in front of a free food distribution point to receive their portion of a hot meal, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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New Proposals Revive Push to Resume Gaza Truce Talks

22 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians wait in front of a free food distribution point to receive their portion of a hot meal, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
22 April 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians wait in front of a free food distribution point to receive their portion of a hot meal, at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Mediators are working to break the deadlock in stalled negotiations over a renewed ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss what sources described as “new ideas for de-escalation.”

The diplomatic push comes as Israel’s security cabinet convenes to review developments on the hostages taken by Hamas, and ahead of a potential visit by US President Donald Trump to the region next month, a move that could inject fresh momentum into the faltering talks, sources familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Efforts to resume the truce have intensified since a ceasefire agreement collapsed on March 18. Four previous proposals to restore calm have failed, but sources said the latest Egyptian-mediated initiative may pave the way for a temporary lull that could evolve into a broader ceasefire.

Hamas will present a new proposal in Cairo that includes a five-point plan for a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, featuring a comprehensive prisoner exchange and regional and international guarantees, a source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Hamas official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions, said the plan envisions a deal for the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners.

The proposal also calls for a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction of the war-ravaged territory, and a complete lifting of the blockade.

According to the source, Hamas is also prepared to commit to a five-year truce under international and regional oversight, should the proposal gain traction.

Hamas is set to present a detailed five-point framework in Cairo, including a long-term truce and a comprehensive prisoner swap, aimed at ending the war in Gaza and restoring stability, they told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The third point in the proposal calls for an immediate return to the situation prior to March 2, 2025, if the framework is approved.

This includes a halt to military operations, Israeli troop withdrawal to positions held under the January 17 agreement, and the entry of humanitarian aid in line with a pre-agreed protocol.

The fourth clause proposes the formation of a local committee of independent technocrats to fully administer Gaza, in accordance with Egypt’s earlier suggestion for a community support council.

The fifth and final point reaffirms Hamas’ willingness to engage in a broader Palestinian national reconciliation based on previous intra-Palestinian agreements - most recently the 2024 Beijing accord.

A Hamas delegation departed Doha for Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the new ceasefire proposal, a senior Hamas official told AFP.

Meanwhile, the BBC quoted a senior Palestinian official as saying that Egyptian and Qatari mediators have put forward a serious new proposal for ending the war, involving a ceasefire lasting between five and seven years, the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and an official end to the conflict.

The last ceasefire collapsed on March 18 when Israel resumed airstrikes in the Gaza Strip and refused to enter the second phase of a previously agreed roadmap.

Multiple joint proposals from Egypt, Israel, and the United States in March and early April failed to bridge the divide between the warring parties.

Hamas is stepping up diplomatic efforts to rally support for its proposed comprehensive ceasefire deal, days after receiving an Israeli proposal for a temporary truce via Egyptian mediators, Egyptian sources told Cairo News Channel last week.

While Hamas did not explicitly reject the Israeli plan, which called for a short-term cessation of hostilities followed by negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire, the group responded with a televised statement demanding a broader agreement. Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using partial deals for political gain while failing to commit to ending the war.

The Hamas delegation’s visit to Cairo follows talks in Ankara on Sunday between senior Hamas official Mohammed Darwish and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Two Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday that the group is seeking Türkiye’s backing to convey its comprehensive deal to the Trump administration, citing strong ties between the two.

Hamas’ diplomatic push comes amid growing international pressure to halt the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. Political science professor Tarek Fahmy, an expert in Palestinian and Israeli affairs, said the Hamas delegation’s visit is part of ongoing efforts to present new ideas for a ceasefire.

Fahmy noted that while the concept of a long-term truce is not new, current mediation efforts are focused on achieving a temporary ceasefire, securing the release of as many hostages and Palestinian prisoners as possible, and presenting Hamas with options to end the war - even under pressure - in order to stop the worsening crisis in the enclave.

“Hamas has limited options,” Fahmy said, pointing to the group's diplomatic maneuvers amid Israel's intensified military campaign, which he said has resulted in Israeli forces taking control of around 40% of Gaza.

Israel has not publicly commented on the latest mediation proposal, but Israeli Channel 12 reported that the country’s security cabinet held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue of hostages.

An Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo on Sunday evening and held talks the next day with mediators in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations with Hamas over a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, The Times of Israel reported on Tuesday.

Egypt has not disclosed details of the latest diplomatic efforts, but Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed the situation with his Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib, in Cairo on Tuesday.

According to a statement from Egypt’s foreign ministry, the talks focused on “efforts to resume implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement to support de-escalation and restore the flow of humanitarian and relief aid into the Strip.”

Fahmy said the recent developments reflect a renewed push by Egypt and Qatar to secure a breakthrough in the stalled talks. He suggested a deal could be reached before Trump’s expected visit to the region next month.

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Arab World

Syrian Troop Killings Expose Repeated Attacks, Security Lapses

Syrian army personnel on a military vehicle in Deir Hafer, rural Aleppo, in January 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian army personnel on a military vehicle in Deir Hafer, rural Aleppo, in January 2026. (Reuters)
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Syrian Troop Killings Expose Repeated Attacks, Security Lapses

Syrian army personnel on a military vehicle in Deir Hafer, rural Aleppo, in January 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian army personnel on a military vehicle in Deir Hafer, rural Aleppo, in January 2026. (Reuters)

The recent killing of two Syrian army members near Manbij, east of Aleppo, was not an isolated attack. It was part of a recurring pattern of strikes on government forces, exposing serious administrative and security gaps that groups opposed to Syria’s new administration are using to target its personnel.

Syria’s Ministry of Defense media and communications department said on June 20 that two soldiers from the 76th Division were killed after unknown gunmen attacked them near Manbij.

The soldiers were riding a motorcycle on a road near the city when they came under direct fire.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Asharq Al-Awsat has tracked many similar attacks on Syrian security and army personnel. Most have occurred as members were heading to or leaving their posts, often on motorcycles or via irregular transport.

Many see the pattern as evidence of weak protection measures and poor organization of personnel rotations.

Rural Aleppo has witnessed several assassinations this year. Among the most prominent were the killing of two Syrian army members in March and another member of the Interior Ministry in April near the town of al-Rai.

Similar incidents have also been reported across most Syrian provinces, including Daraa, Latakia, rural Hama and Homs.

Embarrassing the Syrian state

Demands have grown for personnel to avoid moving alone, wearing military uniforms or using motorcycles in remote areas where the risk is high and support is hard to reach.

Major Khaled al-Abdullah, director of the Syrian interior minister’s office, said the defense and interior ministries had repeatedly issued circulars banning personnel from wearing official uniforms outside working hours and requiring them to follow safety measures suited to Syria’s current conditions.

He said the immediate aim of attacks by groups opposed to the new administration, including Islamic State and remnants of the ousted regime, was to “try to embarrass the Syrian state.”

Abdullah stressed that authorities were working hard to impose security, eliminate armed groups and organizations, and had made significant progress on what he called a difficult path.

But in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he also pointed to “continued internal and external challenges that the Syrian state is working to overcome and whose danger it seeks to end.”

Manbij, the most dangerous route

Abu Mohammed al-Hussein, who oversees a cluster of checkpoints in eastern rural Aleppo, said the movement of personnel had become a problem. He said he had repeatedly asked for buses to transport rotating shift members, especially in rural areas far from the city center.

Hussein said one member of his checkpoint group survived an assassination attempt on the Manbij-al-Bab road in eastern rural Aleppo at the end of March. The incident pushed him to issue special orders regulating how his personnel move.

“A civilian car offered to take one of my men to Aleppo city,” he said. “After they had driven several miles, they claimed there was an emergency and said they had to return. As soon as he got out, the driver’s companion fired several shots at him with a pistol. Two hit his magazine pouch and one pierced his foot. He survived by a miracle.”

He said shift rotations are “decided centrally by sector commanders” and are often carried out at night because service areas are far from where personnel live. He said a ban on carrying weapons and moving through residential areas had also made personnel easier targets.

“With repeated assassination attempts, I issued a decision banning nighttime shift rotations, prohibiting movement in civilian cars or on motorcycles, which have also become easy targets, and limiting transport to road security vehicles,” he added.

Hussein said they were still waiting for approval of a request to allocate a bus to transport security and military checkpoint personnel deployed along the Aleppo-Manbij road.

He described it as “one of the most dangerous land routes,” linking Aleppo to outlying areas and Raqqa province, and passing through an area that remained for years under the control of the ousted regime and the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Ban on keeping weapons

Haider al-Mohammed, a special tasks member, disagreed. He said “transport buses are, in practice, the easy target” and are often attacked, meaning the problem of securing personnel goes beyond transport.

He said decisions that stripped personnel of the means to protect their safety and identity were the direct reason behind the rise in assassinations, alongside the exceptional conditions in the country and the process of “clearing out groups that believe they can create chaos and fear.”

He said among the most important of these decisions were “the ban on wearing face coverings, the ban on keeping registered weapons, and the strict instruction not to carry personal weapons, along with leniency over wearing official uniforms.”

As a result, he said, personnel are exposed, easy targets for these groups, and left without weapons to defend themselves.

On this point, Major Khaled al-Abdullah said Syria’s security and military institutions were working to “implement solutions to facilitate and reduce regular movement in a way that helps end the threat and strengthen the safety of their personnel.”

He said the pattern of attacks “confirms their randomness.” The failure to select specific targets or have prior knowledge of the personnel being targeted, he said, was “an attempt to create chaos and confuse the Syrian state.”

Arab World

Hamas Seeks to Put Gaza on US-Iran Talks Agenda

A Palestinian child weeps next to the body of his brother, killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Wednesday (AFP)
A Palestinian child weeps next to the body of his brother, killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Wednesday (AFP)
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Hamas Seeks to Put Gaza on US-Iran Talks Agenda

A Palestinian child weeps next to the body of his brother, killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Wednesday (AFP)
A Palestinian child weeps next to the body of his brother, killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Wednesday (AFP)

At a time when a purported ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip faces continued Israeli breaches and violations, Hamas has moved toward Iran in a step that showed it was counting on a “supportive” position on Gaza by having the issue placed on the agenda of ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran.

The Hamas move came in an announced phone call on Tuesday between Basem Naim, deputy head of the movement’s Arab and Islamic Relations Office, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

According to a Hamas statement, Araghchi and Naim “discussed the latest developments in the Iranian-US negotiations and the Palestinian issue, especially as it relates to the Gaza Strip,” with Naim praising “Iran’s positions toward the Palestinian cause and its continued support for Gaza amid the continued Israeli aggression.”

A statement published by Iran’s Tasnim news agency on Wednesday quoted Araghchi as telling Naim that “the Iranian team will raise the Palestinian issue in the ongoing negotiations,” adding that it would also raise “the issue of the occupation’s continued aggression in all international forums.”

The call came amid Iranian-US negotiations that include an understanding on a ceasefire in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.

It was the second Hamas-Iran call in June. On June 4, Araghchi called Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas’s leader in Gaza and head of its negotiating delegation. The statement at the time, however, did not clearly refer to bringing Gaza into the Iranian-US negotiations.

It only said Hayya had praised the Iranian negotiating team’s position, which stressed the need for a simultaneous halt to the war on all fronts in the region.

Asharq Al-Awsat tried to contact Hamas official Basem Naim, but he did not respond to calls.

“Not a replacement for mediators”

Two senior Hamas sources abroad told Asharq Al-Awsat in separate remarks that the call between Naim and Araghchi came as part of “continued communication with various parties in an attempt to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza.”

One of them said: “This does not amount to abandoning the negotiations track through the main mediator countries, Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye.”

One source said Naim’s mandate was to communicate with all Arab and Islamic parties as part of a policy of openness to all sides, in a way that serves the interests of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, as Israeli violations continue and no party has been able to compel Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to stop its violations in the enclave.

Still, the second source did not conceal that Hamas was “looking for a pressing Iranian role in the current negotiations to place Gaza on their agenda, as was the case in Lebanon, where Iran succeeded through its efforts in reaching a ceasefire,” according to his assessment.

The second source said: “We, Hamas, count on any position that supports us, the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian cause in general. But it is unlikely that such a step will succeed, given the insistence of the United States and Israel on separating the fronts as much as possible, and given the consensus and understanding inside the movement that the Gaza file has for some time been separate during the war.”

“Positive signs from Lebanon create an opening”

The two sources agreed, however, that there had been “a positive development on the Lebanon front” imposed by the Iranian-US negotiations. That has tempted some Hamas leadership circles to try to “use the opportunity to push for placing Gaza on the negotiations agenda, even though they expect their efforts to fail.”

In recent days, Hamas media outlets have intensified a similar narrative, attributed to an unnamed Iranian source, saying the negotiations include consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza.

A third Hamas source in Gaza said the movement had consistently looked for an Iranian position in support of it in the negotiations during the war. But “it is clear that the United States did not allow, and will not allow, that. It considers Gaza a separate front, and there are efforts being made on that front to consolidate the ceasefire.”

The source added: “It can be said clearly that Iran adopted the halt to the war on the Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq fronts on the basis that those fronts entered the war more broadly after the assassination of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while the war in Gaza had started much earlier.”

A fourth source from a Palestinian faction that receives support from Iran said, “The leaders and members of factions linked to Tehran had hoped it would succeed in stopping the war in Gaza.”

“That would have counted heavily in their favor and in favor of the factions, given the inability of mediators and guarantors to compel Israel to abide by the agreement and stop the violations.”

Factional sources had said that “during the factions’ meetings in Cairo, leaders from several sides advised the Hamas leadership not to count on the Iranian negotiations track, and to take more important steps within the framework of a unified Palestinian position to produce a positive response to proposals related to weapons and other issues.”

Hamas’s evolving position, after the latest call between Naim and Araghchi, appears to come amid voices rejecting amendments made by Nickolay Mladenov, the High Representative for Gaza at the Board of Peace.

Some parties inside the movement viewed the amendments as “primarily serving Israel, and not adhering to US President Donald Trump’s plan, under which the ceasefire agreement was signed in October 2025.”

Arab World

Israel Army Says Struck Suspected Hezbollah Fighters in Lebanon ‘Security Zone’

Stray dogs walk past the rubble of flattened homes and businesses, destroyed by the Israeli military, in the southern Lebanese village of Tibnin on June 24, 2026. (AFP)
Stray dogs walk past the rubble of flattened homes and businesses, destroyed by the Israeli military, in the southern Lebanese village of Tibnin on June 24, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Army Says Struck Suspected Hezbollah Fighters in Lebanon ‘Security Zone’

Stray dogs walk past the rubble of flattened homes and businesses, destroyed by the Israeli military, in the southern Lebanese village of Tibnin on June 24, 2026. (AFP)
Stray dogs walk past the rubble of flattened homes and businesses, destroyed by the Israeli military, in the southern Lebanese village of Tibnin on June 24, 2026. (AFP)

The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike targeting suspected Hezbollah fighters who crossed into the so-called "security zone" it has created in southern Lebanon, the second such incident it reported within hours on Wednesday.

"A short while ago, a vehicle carrying suspects was identified crossing the security zone in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area, posing a threat to Israeli soldiers," the military said.

"Following the identification, the Israeli Air Force struck the suspects in order to remove the threat," it added, vowing that the military "would not allow Hezbollah" fighters to harm its troops.